༺ Time To Say Goodbye ༻
Late at night.
Without securing separate accommodations in Fernan, I sat and waited by the bonfire I lit near the beach and stared blankly into the flames.
Following my orders, the Mage Tribunal Judges, Thema and Doven, had vacated the area.
The Dark Spiritualist sitting beside me stretched her hand toward the fire as if trying to feel some warmth.
Then, almost as if she were suggesting tossing sweet potatoes into the fire for baking, she casually said,
[I didn’t expect you to know about Dante.]
“….”
[It’s not a good idea to get involved with them.]
“There is no other way. They called me.”
Dante was a secret organization that was revealed only in the later stages of the game.
[Actually, they approached me once. They asked if I wanted to dream of saving the continent together.]
“….”
[Of course, I declined. I have no interest in saving the continent. I just wanted to see the end of necromancy personally.]
The Dark Spiritualist had an obsessive thirst for knowledge to the point of being extreme. Even now, she was only cooperating with me because she believed I could show her the end of necromancy, something she hadn’t reached.
And the reason she emerged from her residence, where she was hiding, was just to retrieve the book Aria had stolen, which contained her knowledge.
“I know.”
However, I had no intention of labeling her as selfish.
[Deus, you know as well that Dark Mages are the type of people who will do anything to satisfy their own desires and greed.]
But suddenly…
As I met her eyes, I could feel a faint yet affectionate emotion from her. Was all this really just to satisfy her frustration with a desire for knowledge?
[But what if they’re given a cause, a reason that everyone could understand?]
The Dark Spiritualist’s body slowly came closer to make contact with mine. Although I felt nothing physically, her worried expression was extremely pitiful.
[They will become more aggressive than simply moving to fulfill their desires. That’s how Dante is.]
Our lips were close enough to make contact if either of us moved slightly. They probably would have touched if not for the black veil covering the lower half of the Dark Spiritualist’s face.
I watched her stiffly before slowly speaking.
“Someone has come.”
Keooooohhh!
A shriek echoed.
Startled, the Dark Spiritualist immediately backed away to her original position, and as she did so, the foul stench of rotting flesh hit our noses with such intensity, that I felt like my sense of smell was overwhelmed.
The footsteps and screams coming from far gradually drew closer to the bonfire, and soon, it entered the warm radius of the fire, breaking through the darkness.
It was a man of average build, not too big or too small, covered in a robe and hood. He had a subtle smile on his lips.
Geeeaaaaaa!!!
In his hand was the severed head of a person who was still alive and screaming.
It was Volta’s head.
“Is he still alive?”
In response to my question, the Cadavermancer shrugged.
“Probably half-alive? He’ll die as soon as I release the magic.”
His first impression already made me dislike him. His voice was unpleasant. It was gruff, as if bugs were crawling in his throat, preventing him from making a proper sound.
“Soul Whisperer Deus Verdi. I didn’t expect you to come so soon. It seems I’ve prepared quite an interesting case.”
The man slightly extended Volta’s head forward, and the corner of his mouth formed a big smile resembling a hook.
“I thought it was an evil spirit capable of turning the entire Kingdom upside down. But it seems that I was wrong.”
The man nodded at my words and sat down directly across from me.
The Dark Spiritualist swallowed her saliva, carefully positioning herself behind me.
It was a position to show that she was ready to protect me at any time, in any situation.
I wondered if this Cadavermancer could see the Dark Spiritualist. But seeing him simply stroke Volta’s head while locking eyes with me, it seemed the Dark Spiritualist was invisible to him.
“So why did Dante call me?”
“Oh?”
When I brought up Dante, the man let out an exclamation. However, he responded slyly without showing any signs of bewilderment.
“You’re more capable than I thought. It seems that you didn’t just annihilate the Evil Ghost lurking in the Royal Palace by luck.”
He knew about the Evil Ghost Griffin.
However, I wasn’t particularly surprised when he responded in that manner.
“Let me be frank. We’ve had a really tough time because of you. Since the people of this Kingdom were completely ignorant about black magic, skilled dark mages hit the jackpot to be able to live here in hiding, you know?”
If I were to explain, the land of Griffin would be like a high-level hunting ground for the Dark Mages.
Well, although all incompetent dark mages who stepped in carelessly were quickly discovered and executed by the Mage Tribunal Judges.
However, for skilled individuals, there was no easier or more ignorant prey than this.
But now, with King Orpheus and I attempting reforms related to black magic, the people of Griffin would gradually be able to start identifying them.
So, I wondered if these dark mages would become hostile towards me, but that wasn’t the case.
Surprisingly, there was a gentleness in the Cadavermancer’s voice.
“But looking at how you’ve handled this case and from your actions so far, I thought you were an interesting, skilled individual.”
“….”
“Deus Verdi, how about joining us? You may already know about Dante, but we’re not just acting based on our personal desires. We are working towards a greater cause— saving the continent.”
That was right. There was only one reason why Dante was moving.
It was because they knew that this continent was experiencing saturation.
With no place to rest, the souls of the dead would begin to wander around the continent.
If this continued, the boundary between life and death would disappear, and people would live ambiguously between the border of the realms.
Dante was a group of people who aimed to prevent that.
“As a necromancer, you should know this best. The entire continent will be in danger if this situation persists.”
“Is that why you killed Volta?”
When I bluntly asked while pointing my chin toward Volta’s head, the Cadavermancer glanced down at him and then shook his head.
“He deserved to die. And I’ve also paid a fair price for his life.”
“You paid a fair price?”
Although his choice of words really got on my nerves, he continued speaking as if he hadn’t noticed my irritation.
“We’re different from those barbarians who simply take. We’re not like that. We pay a fair price for everything.”
“So, did you pay that price to Hernu, his mother?”
The Cadavermancer momentarily shut his lips in response to my words. Though he seemed reluctant to speak, he sighed and answered.
“We gave her what she wanted in return. We granted her freedom from her shackles. That was the reward she wanted.”
“Volta’s life belonged to Volta.”
“Hernu is the one who gave birth to Volta.”
This kind of discussion always went hand in hand, like parallel lines.
Just as Necromancers treated souls like some kind of mana mass or consumable ammunition.
Cadavermancers assessed the value of a person’s body as if one was cutting and selling meat in a butcher shop.
It was very annoying.
“No way. You don’t think the price of a life is immeasurable, do you? You’re not the Saintess, Necromancer.”
The Cadavermancer, sneering and mocking, brought the conversation back to the starting point.
“Dante needs you. You are the only Necromancer allowed to openly engage in activities. If you join us, we will help you solidify your position in Griffin for the future.”
“….”
“We can help make your status similar to that of the Saintess. Together with us, you can achieve much greater success.”
If I negotiated and collaborated with them, I would undoubtedly achieve tremendous results in no time. The Church would have to shut their mouths, and I would gradually gain approval from the people.
However,
“Y-yooouuuuu!”
A woman’s scream resonated from a distance.
Perhaps noticing the foul stench of rotten flesh, Hernu, with teary eyes, rushed hurriedly towards us.
“You just said you would resolve it! You only promised to give me freedom! I never thought you would actually kill him!”
She ran towards the Cadavermancer while cursing vehemently and halted upon seeing her son’s screaming face.
Despair and agony were evident on her face.
“Vo-Volta?”
Did her legs give out, or was it guilt on her face after selling out her son?
Hernu knelt and bowed her head repeatedly. As if she had just succumbed to the devil’s temptation, she apologized with tears streaming down her face.
“So-sorry. I am sorry, Son. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. I was just so exhausted because of you… That’s why it happened! I didn’t expect that they would kill you!”
As I subtly glanced at the Cadavermancer, he shrugged in response.
“He was a son who struck his mother. So, I only offered to free the mother who had suffered due to such a son, and she accepted. The value was not determined by me. She was the one who decided it herself.”
After weighing the son’s life against her own freedom, she accepted the deal.
Despite deeply regretting how things had turned out, the milk had already spilled.
“The deal has already been finalized.”
The Cadavermancer smiled and lifted Volta’s head. Hernu fell into despair, repeatedly hitting the ground and apologizing to her son.
Keooooohhh!
Volta’s head continued to scream as if reliving his endless and brutal moment of death.
Perhaps his soul was trapped inside.
“The choice is yours. Don’t let this bother you too much; I’d like to hear your answer now.”
The Cadavermancer rose from his seat and slowly approached me.
He put an odd pressure on me and demanded an answer.
“Deus, join Dante. We hope you will join hands with us.”
“….”
He extended his hand which was emitting a foul stench. It couldn’t be helped as he was a Cadavermancer. However, it was still extremely repulsive.
I extended my hand and pointed to Volta’s head.
“Release the magic.”
I no longer wanted his mother to hear the screams of her child.
“That will be my answer.”
I would prove they were wrong about Volta’s death and show them the decisive difference between Dante and me.
“Huh?”
The Cadavermancer tilted his head in confusion, but he released the magic since he had no lingering attachment to Volta.
My mana surged and enveloped Volta.
Strictly speaking, Volta’s head was in a recently deceased state.
I only intended to create a brief opportunity to allow him to say his last words, and the Cadavermancer understood my intention.
“You want to allow him to say his last word to his mother? Is it to inflict an unforgettable wound on her?”
The Cadavermancer chuckled and placed Volta’s head in front of Hernu.
Soon after the scream, Volta’s soul, borrowing his body for a brief moment, managed to utter a word.
“Mo—”
“Vo-Volta! Volta! I’m sorry! Because of this wretched mother of yours!”
Volta’s words did not come out properly, it was as if he had gritty sand stuck in his mouth.
While Hernu continued to slam her head to the ground in apology, Volta managed to force out his last words.
“Mom.”
“…Vol-ta?”
“I’m… sorry… Mom.”
That was the end.
Volta’s corpse slumped, eyes closed, and his soul seemed to rest peacefully without any lingering regrets.
“Huh?”
The Cadavermancer looked at the mother-son pair with a bewildered expression. He expected Volta to pour out his hatred towards the mother who sold him off and inadvertently caused his death.
But he apologized to Hernu instead. That was something the Cadavermancer couldn’t understand at all.
“When do you think people learn the most?”
I spoke calmly as I took on the manner of the professor unraveling the answer to a problem.
“When they have the most to regret and have to earn the insight for change.”
That moment was when they were about to die.
Volta suffered continuously without being able to die. However, he knew that he would eventually die.
The situation was similar to jumping from a very tall building.
He might not have known when he would hit the ground, but he continued to fall. Even though death was certain, his mind kept racing.
Even if he saw his life flash before his eyes dozens of times, even if he regretted or resented it, he must have done it intensely.
And as a result, he must have reflected on his own actions, accepting his inevitable fate.
Volta was an extremely despicable man.
He was such a heinous villain, that the villagers hesitated to hold a funeral for him.
His personality was so awful that even his own mother regretted giving birth to him and felt an impulse to sell him to someone else.
Even such a young man would at least change this much in the face of death.
“In the end, even he could change. Humans are beings who can change while regretting and repenting.”
“….”
“You said that I should not talk about how the value of a life is immeasurable, correct?”
I sneered.
As someone who had lived a life directly tied to death, thus having seen more human corpses than most, he felt rather foolish.
“At least, this foolish young man who could be called a little scoundrel realized his true nature in the face of his own death.”
Hernu wailed desperately while clutching Volta’s head. I could feel her sorrow, that despite finally being able to take care of each other, she would not be able to be together with her son now.
“So, how can you put a price on their lives?”
“…It turns out you’re different from us.”
The Cadavermancer shook his head. He realized that the negotiations had broken down.
“Too bad, Deus Verdi. You have to sacrifice the lesser for the greater good.”
“As someone who knows nothing about the value of small things, you people should not think about obtaining something big.”
Along with the sound of the Cadavermancer clicking his tongue, his body collapsed and scattered onto the ground.
That body was just a mere corpse.
So, that was the source of the intense foul stench that had been flowing out.
“Volta! Voltaaa! Huaaaahhhh! Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!”
And just like that, the case reached a conclusion.
The Cadavermancer fled, and Hernu would likely be arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
Only the screams of a mother, holding her son in her arms while shedding tears, remained.
Perhaps the Mage Tribunal Judges, Thema and Doven, would arrive soon. I told them to wait nearby, but they would likely come after hearing Hernu’s cries.
To give the mother and son time for their final farewell, I would pretend to not see anything until they arrived.
And so, I closed my eyes.
